Quote:
Originally Posted by neoguy
Tom,
I understand your angst and frustration.
For the first time, last year I started using alfalfa meal and alfalfa tea. By the end of the season the soil was beautiful, soft and crumbly. I spread the meal by hand over the soil prior to planting, then digging it in (I realize you are beyond this point). Then, I would make a tea out of 4-5 cups of meal in a 5 gallon bucket. I'd let it sit for a couple of days, but I'd stir it frequently, I use a paint mixer attached to a drill. After 2 days I'd add some fish emulsion, molasses, or both, let sit another day and then add to the garden. About 1-2 cups of concentrate per gallon. I'm sure you could add the concentrate directly into the soil as a drench without harm.
I not an expert nor have I professed to be and I realize you're looking for a quick solution to your immediate problem, I suggest you try the alfalfa tea every 7-10 days.
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neoguy,
so that tea is a concentrate? where did you buy the alfalfa and what was it called? i'm wondering if you used the same thing i bought in the 50 pound bag of alfalfa pellets?
i bought a 50 pound bag of alfalfa pellets the other day. after reading thru google searches i returned them. the tea sounds disgusting (they say it smells like a cross between vomit and dog $hit!) and i see it almost always being used on roses and flowers. i've used compost tea with good results but alfalfa sounds like trouble. however at this point i may fall back on it, keep reading!
so i returned the pellets and bought a soil test kit. frankly it makes sense to know the problem before treating it. there was a 1 time test for n-p-k for $5 or a 10 test kit for $20 made by ferry morse a well known name located in ct.
what a crock of manure! i spent from 12:30 until 5 pm reading the kit before buying it, getting 2 soil samples and then doing tests - a ph test, 2 nitrogen tests, a phosphorus and potassium test. the ph looks to be 7.0 to 7.25 a bit high. the nitrogen was not even on the color chart! same for phosphorous. the potassium test was impossible to grade. this is why i did not want to bother with a soil test. i've used these before and then i've had good soil tests run and they cost real money. a do it your self kit is a toy imo. besides with some of the garden planted it is not easy to add any amendments at this point even to unplanted sections as there's so little time for them to work before plants will be put there. i did not discover this problem until plants were not growing well.
so i am back to square 1. i have no idea what the issue is (too much N can stunt plants as well as too little). i have had such good soil i grow anything and it does well. this is such a kick in the a$$ and i paid for the damage. when i took soil samples all the small pieces of wood in the soil!
i guess i'll try the NH fertilizer watering the plants vs spraying them and see what happens at this point i don't know what else to do. i doubt i'll have an onion harvest this year, i love pulling onions and drying them it's such a ritual i love to do. if plants respond to NH good if not then disaster.
i may rebuy that bag of alfalfa pellets it's only about $14. how often would you water the plants with the tea, can you overdo it? so 1-2 cups of tea added to 1 gallon of water? at that rate 5 gallons of tea would be a good amount to make as it'll do a lot of watering. any tips on using the tea or making it would be appreciated!